An institutionally-funded master’s program in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) designed specifically for Princeton students will be reverted to a master’s program open to any applicant with external funding.
“This program has run its course and won’t be offered in the future,” Claire Gmachl, ECE department chair, wrote in an email to ECE seniors last week.
The program began during the pandemic as a way to offer ECE seniors an institutionally funded extra opportunity for classes and research — a year-long program which would yield a Masters in Engineering degree on the University’s dime. The intention of the program was to give students an extra opportunity to take in-person classes in light of the pandemic’s virtual offerings, Gmachl said.
“The covid affected class-years have since graduated; hence the rationale for this model has disappeared and we have reverted to the previous model,” Gmachl said in a statement to The Daily Princetonian.
Before COVID-19, the ECE department offered a small, one-year Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) program, typically pursued by mid-career individuals who wanted a master’s degree to continue their work. The student must have had external funding, and Princeton would not offer institutional support. Gmachl said that “[the pre-COVID-19 master’s program] is again available, and we expect it to remain small.”
The news has left some ECE students disappointed, with many now reconsidering their post-graduation options. Veronika Kitsul ’26 was planning on applying to the program as a stable back-up option when searching for post-grad opportunities — an opportunity that was a more “sure case” for ECE seniors because it was “only available to them,” she said in an interview with the ‘Prince.’
Joseph Foranzi ’26 was also considering applying to the program as an “economical fallback,” he told the ‘Prince.’ He was left “disappointed.”
Ximu Du ’26 was also considering applying to the program until he learned of its cancellation.
“Since then, I’ve been applying to a mix of graduate programs and jobs to keep my options open. UC Berkeley and CMU both have very strong programs in this field that I’m considering,” Du said in a statement to the ‘Prince.’
However, there is confusion among the campus regarding the actual identity of the program being cancelled.
Other than Gmachl’s email to ECE seniors, there have been no further announcements from the ECE department or graduate school regarding the M.Eng. program.
Currently, there are four M.Eng. programs being offered in Fall 2026: in Chemical and Biological Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and ECE. Each program is currently accepting applications.
Clara Docherty is a staff News writer for the ‘Prince.’ She is from Lafayette, N.J., and typically covers campus clubs and institutional legacy. She can be reached at clara.docherty[at]princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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